Old Master Prints (16th to 18th Century, original prints: etchings, mezzotint engravings

OLD MASTER PRINTS: 16th to 18th Century

Original Prints: Etchings and Mezzotint Engravings

Here we intend to show rare and original Old Master prints, covering a rather long and innovative period in terms of the graphic arts and the printmakers, who progressively mastered a variety of media (woodcuts, etchings, mezzotint engravings), and turned them to their own creative advantage.

The main criterion is that of remarkable early works, or relatively unknown works, for the artist or the period, sometimes well aside from the conventional aesthetics of the time...

Cornelis Pietersz. Bega (ca. 1631 - 1664)

Peasant stuffing his Pipe

Zittende Man steekt Pijp aan

Hollstein (2 of 4) , Dutuit 20

etching, 2nd state, before reinforcement of the borderline, with considerable selective plate wiping, and before traces of wear to the darker areas that appear early on

A renowned Dutch printmaker from Haarlem, Cornelis Bega was a keen observer, often staging the commonplace with a witty eye. His etchings offer succinct insights into everyday scenes, following on a longstanding Breughelian tradition.

Isidro Carnicero (1736-1804)

Fiesta de Toros en el Aire

Fiesta of Bulls in the Air

Páez Rios Repertorio 429-2

etching, 1784, apparently the only known state

Carnicero's fantastic vision of aerostatic spectacles is disarming in the general context of 18th century printmaking, a novel exploration of imaginary public events that foreshadows surrealism.

Antonio Correggio (1489 - 1534) [after], etching by Luigi Scaramuccia (1616 - 1680, also known as Il Perugino)

The Virgin and Child with St Catherine and an Angel holding a Book

Bartsch, not described

etching, ca. 1640-1680, the only known state, apparently one of only a few impressions of this rare print (which does not exist for example in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris)

A moving rendition of the central scene of Correggio's masterpiece (now in Parma's Galleria Nazionale), reducing the original picture to a Sacra Conversazione, qua Mystic Marriage.

John (Johan) Faber Jr. (ca. 1695-1756)

Mr Cave Underhill

Chaloner Smith 357 (only state described)

mezzotint engraving, 1712, on medium-fine laid paper

Though born in the Netherlands, John Faber Jr was best known as a portraitist in England, and Mr Cave Underhill was a renowned actor; this rare mezzotint, according to Chaloner Smith, was probably Faber's first print.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806)

La Famille du Satyre

The Family of the Satyr

Wildenstein IV, cf. Portalis 118

etching, 1763, on medium-fine ivory laid paper; the rare 1st state (of 2), before the addition of the numbering

Plate 2 of the Bacchanales ou Jeux de Satyres, this delightful little etching is a splendid example of both Fragonard's wit and immense graphic mastery of a fantastic pseudo-antiquarian rendering Roman stelae.

Claude Gellée, called Claude Lorrain (1600-1682)

Le Port de Mer au Fanal

Harbour Scene with a Lighthouse

Mannocci 37 IIIA (R-D 11, D 11, B 13, K 138, R 22)

etching, ca. 1640, on medium-fine laid paper, a rare contemporary impression (from the mid-1640s), before various alterations and inscriptions

Though born in Lorraine (hence his name, Claude Lorrain), Claude Gellée spent most of his life in Rome, where he quite successfully developed a masterfully atmospheric rendering of light in painting and etching imaginary landscapes (drawing commisions from the pope, the king of Spain, and a number of cardinals), and which notably influenced Turner.

Gabriel Pérelle (circa 1603-1677)

Suite of Six Italianate Landscapes in the Round

Le Blanc 77-102 (?)

the complete set of 6 etchings, circa 1655 (?), on medium-fine ivory laid paper, with Mariette's address

Watermark crown / fleur de lys posthorn

Pérelle was a prolific printmaker, who trained in Italy and drew inspiration for his etchings from the landscapes and monuments he studied there. In 1665 he was appointed by Louis XIV to the post of Directeur des Plans et des Cartes du Cabinet du Roi, during which he ostensibly gave up printmaking completely.

William Ward, A.R.A (1766 -1826), after John Hoppner, R.A. (1758-1810)

Sallad Girl (Portrait of Phoebe Hoppner)

Russell 47.IV (?)

mezzotint, 1783, on medium-weight cream laid paper; a rare early state (3rd or 4th of 5, according to Russell), before correction of the double L in the title.

William Ward was one of the foremost mezzotint engravers in England during the late 18th century, and this charming rendition of Hoppner's portrait of his daughter is one of Ward's most famous prints.